Uruguay cheese market

Uruguay consumed more than 40,000 tonnes of cheese in 2025, according to Zenith, or around 12 kg per person, among the highest levels in Latin America.

Uruguay is a mature market. Zenith expects consumption to grow by less than 1% a year to 2030.

Uruguay is an export-led producer. Around a third of its cheese production is exported, and imports are small. Processed cheese and semi-hard cheeses account for much of home consumption.

The Zenith Global Cheese Database 2026 covers Uruguay with production, imports, exports and consumption for 39 cheese types, actuals from 2020 to 2025 and forecasts to 2030. Volume data covers totals, broad categories and separately measured cheese types, in tonnes. Consumer retail value covers total cheese only, in local currency and USD; import and export trade values cover HS 0406 total only, in USD. Monetary values are not broken down by individual cheese type or broad category. Retail shelf prices cover total cheese and five broad categories: hard and semi-hard, fresh, mould, processed, and other non-specified cheese, in local currency/kg and USD/kg, not individual prices for all 39 cheese types. Import and export unit prices cover HS 0406 total and available HS subheadings, in USD/kg. Retail value is estimated retail volume multiplied by regular shelf prices, including sales tax. Trade values are customs values, using CIF for imports and FOB for exports. Production is measured as formally manufactured cheese.